An Ankeny father found guilty of killing his infant daughter sat silently as he was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life. Ryan Trowbridge, 22, was convicted of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death following a complicated bench trial centered on detailed and conflicting medical testimony.

Four-month-old Rylee Trowbridge was in her father’s care on July 12, 2010, when Ankeny firefighters and police were called to Ryan’s residence for a child who was not breathing. Ryan told police he was watching TV in another room when he heard a gasp. Ryan said he discovered Rylee in respiratory distress on a queen-sized bed where he had placed her for a nap. Ryan called for help and his daughter later died at the hospital.

Rylee Trowbridge, courtesy Daily Mail UK

Ryan’s defense argued that the infant had rolled off a pillow and became lodged, head down, between the headboard in the mattress. The police asserted that head injuries discovered by an autopsy were inconsistent with Ryan’s account. The judge agreed with testimony that Ryan wouldn’t have been able to hear his daughter’s gasp and that the gap between mattress and headboard was too small for Rylee’s head to become wedged. Doctors also testified that Rylee had fractured ribs, a fractured clavicle, neck injuries and retinal bleeding consistent with being grabbed and shaken.